Pregnancy And Folic Acid

Planning a baby? If your wife is trying to get pregnant, getting plenty of folic acid is important to help lower the risk of a baby with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly.

What is Folic Acid and why should my spouse take it?

Folic acid is a B vitamin, which helps the body make healthy new cells. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, all women need folic acid. When a woman has enough folic acid before and during pregnancy, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Be sure your spouse gets enough folic acid every day. She should start before she gets pregnant. Folic acid is needed during the first few weeks, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. And half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned. That is why it's so important to start taking folic acid each day, even when she is not planning to get pregnant.

Folic acid might also have other benefits for men and women of any age. Some studies show that folic acid might help prevent heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and possibly Alzheimer's disease.

How much folic acid should your spouse take?

Following are the conditions outlined by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services which will help you determine how much folic acid your spouse should take.

• She is able to get pregnant. She should take 400 mcg of folic acid every day
• She is pregnant. She should take 600mcg of folic acid every day.
• She is breastfeeding. She should take 500mcg of folic acid every day
• She has had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly and wants to get pregnant again. She should talk with her doctor, and ask for a prescription for a higher dose of folic acid. She should take 4,000 micrograms (4,000 mcg) starting at least one to three months before getting pregnant and during the first 3 months of pregnancy. That's 10 times the normal amount! But don't let her try to get the larger amount by taking more than one multivitamin or prenatal vitamin a day. She could get too much of another vitamin that could harm her or the baby
• You spouse has had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly. She is not planning to have another baby. She should take 400 mcg of folic acid every day.

If you are about to start a family with your spouse, you will often hear about family planning. But what really does it mean? Family planning is often understood as prevention of pregnancy.